Duchess Sophia Frederica of Mecklenburg-Schwerin

Sophia Frederica of Mecklenburg-Schwerin with daughter Juliane by Jens Juel, 1790

Sophia Frederica of Mecklenburg-Schwerin (24 August 1758 – 29 November 1794) was a Princess and Duchess of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, and by marriage Princess of Denmark.

Family, early life

Duchess Sophia Frederica and her brother Frederick, 1764, Georg David Matthieu

Sophie Friederike von Mecklenburg-Schwerin was the only daughter of Duke Louis of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, second son of Christian Louis II, Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, and Princess Charlotte Sophie of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld. She was born in Schwerin. Her only sibling was Frederick, who was about two years older.

Marriage

On 21 October 1774 in Copenhagen, she married Hereditary Prince Frederick of Denmark and Norway, the son of King Frederick V of Denmark and his second wife Juliane Marie of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, who was the regent in Denmark between 1772 and 1784. She was sixteen years old when she was married.

Sophia Frederica, known as Sofie Frederikke af Mecklenburg-Schwerin in Denmark, was described as jolly, charming and intelligent. She had a hard time in the beginning adapting to her new, stiffer environment, but became quite popular. It is said she was disappointed when she met her husband for the first time, but they came to be fond of each other, although they both supposedly took lovers; her husband had a mistress, her companion Caja Hviid, while the father of Sophia Frederica's children was rumored to be her husband's adjutant, Frederik von Blücher. It was said that the harmony of their marriage was based on mutual understanding. The harmonious friendship between the spouses created a fear that Sophia Frederica's influence over her husband would lead to her interfering in politics.

She died in Sorgenfri Palace.

Children

Sophia Frederica and Prince Frederick had the following children:

• Princess Juliana Marie (Christiansborg Palace, 2 May 1784 – Copenhagen, 28 October 1784)
• Hereditary Prince Christian Frederick (1786–1848), 1814-1814 King of Norway and later, 1839–48 King of Denmark (Christian VIII)
• Princess Juliana Sophie (Copenhagen, 18 February 1788 – Copenhagen, 9 May 1850), married at Frederiksborg on 22 August 1812 Wilhelm Landgrave of Hesse-Philippsthal-Barchfeld (Barchfeld, 10 August 1786 – Copenhagen, 30 November 1834), and had issue
• Princess Louise Charlotte (1789–1864), married William, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel (or Hesse-Cassel)
• Hereditary Prince Frederik Ferdinand (1792–1863), childless

Ancestry

References

• (Danish) Article in the Dansk biografisk Lexikon

External links

• Grand-Ducal House of Mecklenburg-Schwerin
• Royal House of Denmark